4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - April 5, 1999

1 Illinois 6

Michigan
Illinois

6

U I - a aG
Michigan 7
Illinois 0

Illinois 7

Michigan

5

5

Michigan

1




Yeteda' box score
IWNOIS (7)
AB RtNHRBI BBSO PO A
O'Neill, If 5 2 2 3 0 0 2 0
Anderson, ss 5 1 2 0 0 2 2 1
Svihlik, 2b 5 2 3 3 0 0 2 1
Smmons,dh 5 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
Jackson, rf 4 0 1 1 0 1 2 0
Fischer, ph,rf 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Rudden, 1b 4 0 2 0 1 1 3 0
McClure,cf 5 1 3 0 0 0 6 0
Basak, 3b 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 1
Gertz, c 3 1 0 0 1 27 1
Totals 42 7157 2 827 4
E: 1 (Anderson) LOB: 10 28: 1 ('Neill) 3D: none
HR: 2 (ONeill, Svihlik) S$: 2 (Svhlik, McClure) CS:
none SH: none. SF: none
MICHIGAN (1)
AB R K RBI BB SO PO A
Scales,2b 5 0 1 0 0 1 2 5
Alcaraz, rf 3 0 1 1 1 0 1 1
Cervenak,3b 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
Besco, lb 3 0 0 0 1 0 7 2
Bush, cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
Dines,,dh 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
Sanborn, ph,dhl 1 0 0 1 1 0 0
Bobeda,lIf 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Seestedt,c 2 0 0 0 2 1 8 1
Lappo, c 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
LaRosa, ss 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0
Dombos, ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Tousa, ss 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
Totals 29 1 2 1 97 2712
E: 1 (LaRosa) DP: none LOB: 1128: none 38: none
HR: none SB: 1(Bobeda) CS: 1(Besco) SH: none
SF: none
Illinois.............000 001240-10
Michigan..........000 00000 1-2

Des it sit, Wolverbes
ma e statement versus Illm

Mlcho~n
Pistilli
Young
Cranson
Kelley
Trzos
Illinois
Rehrer
Dickinson

IP
5.1
1.0
1.0
0.2
1.0
8.1
0.2

H
7
1
1
4
2
H
2
0

R
1
1
1
4
0
R
i
0

ER
1
1
1
4
0
ER
1
0

88
1
0
0
1
0
B
9
0

so
2
2
2
1
1
So
6
1

AS
23
5
4
5
5
AB
27
2

F
24
5
4
6
5
BF
36
3

Last year was supposed to be a big year for
the Michigan baseball team. The Wolverines
ere coming off of a Big Ten regular season
title in 1997 and were ranked as high as ninth
nationally in some preseason polls.
At the start of the season Michigan took these
high expectations with them into Champaign
when they faced Illinois. The Fighting Illini, hun-
gry to grab Michigan's Big Ten championship,
beat the Wolverines three out of four games.
Not only did the Fighting Illini beat the
Wolverines, they humiliated
them. Illinois beat down the
Wolverines to the tune of
20-3 and 14-4. These routs
of the preseason conference
favorite helped spur the
Illini to their own Big Ten
Championship.
Meanwhile, the
Wolverines fell from their "
conference championship to BERKA
a 9-15 Big Ten record, good Teeing
for only a sixth-place tie. Off
While the Wolverines suf-
fered from a lion's share of problems and disap-
pointments last season, the whipping they
received from Illinois was something a bit more
painful.
Not only did the Illini win the Big Ten champi-
onship, they came within one victory of going to
the College World Series, a rarity for a Big Ten
school. While Michigan was wallowing, Illinois
was rising near college baseball's elite.
All of this made this weekend's four-game
series at Fisher Stadium a huge one for Michigan
baseball. The Wolverines - now in the position
of the hunter rather than the hunted - had a
chance to exact revenge on the Illini, and in the
process, perhaps better its chances for a success-
ful season.
"Last year we had something they wanted,"

Michigan second baseman and co-captain Bobby
Scales said before the series started. "We were the
defending Big Ten champions and we went down
there and they pretty much laid the wood to us.
We know what we have to do this year."
.Michigan didn't complete a total role reversal
against the Illini, but came away on much better
footing then when they left Champaign last
spring. The Wolverines were shutout by the Illini,
7-0, yesterday, but swept Saturday's doubleheader
and lost a tough 6-5 game Friday.
Although Michigan baseball coach Geoff Zahn
was disappointed with just getting two hits yester-
day, the Wolverines stayed right with the favored
Illini - literally.
Michigan actually outscored Illinois 19-18 dur-
ing this weekend's series. That output was a far
cry from last year's debacle in Champaign, where
the Illini outscored the Wolverines 45-22.
Does this year's role reversal mean that the
Wolverines are a cinch for the Big Ten champi-
onship? Not really.
Michigan has had spurts where its bats have
been as awake as a first-year student in a Chem
125 lecture. Yesterday was a great example, as
Travis Rehrer and Andy Dickinson held the
Wolverines to two hits - coming in Michigan's
first two at-bats of the game.
But the Wolverines also proved something else
this weekend. They proved that they were capable
of playing with the big boys of the conference.
They also proved that the disappointment last
year could work as a motivating tool this year.
With 12 seniors on this team, Michigan was hop-
ing to prove that it had learned from the mistakes
of last year and it was deserving of the hype that
had previously surrounded the program.
Scales and the team wanted to make a state-
ment. And in this weekend's performance, they
succeeded.
- TJ Berka can be reached via email at
berkat@umich.edu.

At:Fisher Field
Attendance: 300

MI6HIGAN (6)
AB R N RBI BB SO PO A
Scales, 2B 3 1 1 1 0 0 2 3
Alcaraz,rf 2 1 1 1 0 0 2 0
Cervenak,3b3 0 0 0 0 0 1 3
Dines, dh 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Bush, cf 3 0 1 2 0 0 4 0
Besco,1lb 3 0 0 0 0 1 6 1.
Seestedt,c 3 1 1 0 0 0 5 0
LaRosa,ss 3 1 2 0 0 1 0 3
Bobeda,lIf 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 1
Totals 25 6 7 5 0 321 11
E:1(LaRosa). DP: none LB: 328: 1 (Alcaraz) 3B:
1(Bush) HR: none SB: 1(LaRosa) SH: 1(Bobeda)
SF: 1(Alcaraz)
IWNOIS (5)
AB R H RBI BB3$0 PO A
O'Neill, If 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
Anderson,ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Svihlik,2b 4 1 1 0 0 1 0 3
Simmons,dh 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0
McClure, cf 2 1 1 1 0 1 4 0
Rudden,'lb 2 0 1 2 0 0 7 0
Marquie,rf 3 0 1 1 0 1 2 0
Basak,3b 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 1
Gertz, c 3 0 1' 0 0 0 3 0
Totals 285 85 0 418 6
E 2 (Anderson. Basak). DP: none LOB: 4 2B: 4
(Simmons, McClure, Basak, Gertz) 3: none HR:
none SB: 1(Basak) SN: 1(Rudden) SF: none

SARA SCHENCK/Daily
Michigan first baseman Brian Besco and the rest of the Wolverine were not quite enough on Sunday
against Illinois, but the Wolverines proved they are among the best teams in the Big Ten this season.


Strong spring performance signals hope for bright season

Illinois. ........014 000 0-5
Michigan ............000 150 0-6

Michigan
Ralston
Korecky
IWNOIS
Lavery
Journell

IP K R ER 88
5.1 8 5 1 0
1.2 0 0 0 0
IP N R ER 88
4.2 5 5 3 0
1.1 2 1 1 0

SO
3
1
SO
1
2

AB
23
AB
19
6

BF
25
5
OF
21
6

At: Fisher Field
MICHIGAN (7)
Scales,2b 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 5
Alcaraz, rf 3 1 1 0 0 0 2 0
Cervenak, 3b 2 3 2 4 1 0 0 0
Dines,dh 3 1 2 3 0 1 0 0
.Bush, cf 3 0 1 00 2 10
-Bescolb 3 0 0 0 0 3 11 0
Seestedt,c 3 0 0 0 0 1 3 2
LaRosa,ss 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 4
Bobeda,lIf 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 0
Totals 21 7 6 7 61021 13
E: none OP: 2 LOB: 2 28: 2 (Cervenak, Dines) 3D:
none HR: 2 (Cervenak, Dines) SO: none cS: 2
(Scales, Bobeda) SH: none. SF: none
ILLINOIS (0)
AS R H RBI BB 5 0 PO A
O'Neil, If 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
Anderson,ss 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Svihlik, 2b 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
Simmons,dh 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
McClure, cf 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Ruddenlb 3 0 0 0 0 1 5 0
Marquie rf 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Basak,3b 2 0 1 0 0 0 2 1
Gertzc 2 0 1 0 0 0 9 3
Totals 21 0 4 0 3 3 18 6
E: none DP: 1 LOB: 328: 1 (O'Neil) 35: none HR:
none SB: none CS: none SH: none SF: none
Michigan.............0000000-12
Illinois.................202030 -4
MIchigan IP H R ER BB SO AS SF
Putz 7.0 4 0 0 3 3 21 24
Illinois IP H R ER BB SO AS BF
Walk 6.0 6 7 7 6 10 21 27
At: Fisher Field
Attendance: 996

By Geoff Gagnon
Daily Sports Writer
They've seen blue skies and warm coasts,
cool breezes and mild weather.
Yet, almost halfway though their 1999 cam-
paign, the road weary Michigan baseball play-
ers were yet to see the friendly confines of Ray
Fisher Stadium until last week.
Rather, the Wolverines began this season set-
ting out on an ambitious U.S. tour, making
stops in California, Texas
and Florida at a sometimes- BASEBALL
dizzying pace.
Remarkably, though, Commentary
while boarding passes and----------
restaurant menus likely began to read like box
scores and rosters as the mind-numbing real-
ization of 22 games in one month on the road
set in, Michigan's play has simply elevated.
And if Michigan fans missed their team
while on the road, this weekend's showdown
with Illinois proved they'd be well-served not
to miss the Wolverines while at home.
Boasting the experience of 10 seniors, the
Wolverines remember 1997's Big Ten
Championship season and in battling defend-
ing conference title-holder Illinois this week-
end to a series split, Michigan showed they are
a bona fide team to watch this season.
But it was opponents, particularly Big Ten
foes, who began to take notice of Michigan
after a strong spring showing inspired opti-
mism in the young season and struck fear in
the hearts of conference opposition.
In turning in exceptional performances
against perennial powerhouses like UCLA,

SARA SCHENCK/Daily
Rob Bobeda and the Michigan baseball team's tough early season schedule has given the Wolverines an
early look at the kind of tough competition they will face in the Big Ten.
Veteran tis aheScalesMy,
r
Solid showing from co-captain propels Blue

Southern California, Texas A&M and
Pepperdine, among others, Michigan battled
some of the nation's toughest teams in
admirable fashion.
What's clear now, after this weekend's wins
is that Michigan's challenging spring seaso,
only jump started the Wolverines for the chal-
lenges of the conference season - and, in each
case, Michigan has responded.
And though the Wolverines may have fallen
short of a winning record in its non-conference
trial by fire, Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said
he is pleased with his team's effort and the
results it has undoubtedly generated.
"I thought we played really well," Zahn said.
"The kids would have liked a few more win
but I know that we played very well again
some very tough teams."
And that type of play has simply carried over
since Michigan opened conference play last
weekend with three wins in Iowa.
Sparked by the play and example of a strong
veteran core, the quality of the Wolverines'
play in vaulting into the conference's second
spot speaks for the strength of their leadership.
Where a younger and poorer-led squad may
have faltered under the pressure of a demand-
ing non-conference season, Michigan entere
Big Ten play focused and determined witW
much to prove after stumbling to a sixth place
finish a year ago.
That redefined focus showed itself this
weekend, and should Zahn's club continue to
use the lessons of a stellar spring to fuel the
fire, a return to the Big Ten pinnacle could be
in Michigan's future.
SILLINOIS
Continued from Page 1B
in their half of the seventh and eighth
innings. Michigan pitcher Joe Young,
who had successfully worked the
Wolverines out of a one-out, bases
loaded jam in the sixth without allowing
a run, gave up an inning-opening double
to Illinois's Dan O'Neill in the seventh.
After striking out the next batter, Young
was replaced by Bryan Cranson. Illinois
slugger D. J. Svihlik wasted no tim*
with Cranson, belting his very first pitch
over the right field wall.
Illinois struck again with a three-run
homer by O'Neill in the eighth to put the
game out of reach.
Despite yesterday's loss, Michigan
and Illinois ended the series tied at two
games apiece, with the Wolverines
outscoring the Fighting Illini, 19-18
overall. Illinois won Friday's game 6-5
before the Wolverines swept Saturdays
doubleheader, 6-5 and 7-0, in front of a
A t stoked Hash Bash crowd.
"I thought we played pretty well this
weekend," Zahn said. "It was a good
series all around between two good ball
clubs. They battled hard and deserved to

ILWUNOIS (6)
AB fR H BI BBs0$PO A
ONeill,lIf 3 0 0 1 1 1 1 0
Anderson,ss 5 0 1 1 0 1 1 1
Svihlik, 2b 5 1 2 1 0 0' 3 1
Simmonsdh 4 0 1 1 0 1 0 0
Jackson,ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
McClure, cf 4 0 1 0 0 0 4 0
Rudden,lb 4 1 1 0 0 0 8 1
Mruerf3 1. 1 0 0 0 0 0
ischerrf 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Basak, 3b 3 2 1 0 1 0 1 4
Gertz, c 3 1 2 1 1 1 7 0
Totals 36 6 10 5 3 527 9
E: 1(ONeil). OP: none LOB: 7 28: 4 (Anderson,
Simmons, Rudden, Gertz) 38: none HR: none SB:
none CS: none SH: none. SF: (O'Neil)
MICHIGAN (5)
AB R H RBI BB so PO A
Scales, 2b 5 1 1 0 0 1 2 21
Alcaraz,rf 4 0 1 0 1 0 1 9
Cervenak,3b 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
Besco, lb 5 2 2 0 0 3 11 1
Bush, cf 4 1 2 2 0 0 4 0
Bobeda,f .4 0 2 1 0 0 3 0
Sanborn, dh 4 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

By Geoff Gagnon
Daily Sports Writer
Two summers ago, senior Bobby
Scales spent the season in Portland,
Ore., as a Nike intern.
And so far at the plate this spring,
the second baseman has been "just
doing it" for his 15-9 Wolverines. But
the sports marketing-minded co-cap-
tain has had a lot more than swooshes
on his mind as he's concerned himself
with leading his squad back to the
summit of the Big Ten.
That concern has helped Scales
stake his claim as a potent leadoff hit-
ter to be reckoned with. And despite
seeing an impressive hit streak come
to bittersweet end at 11 games in his
team's 7-0 win Saturday, Scales has
been able to reach base amazingly in
every game so far this season.
Boasting a team-best 31 runs on
the year, Scales has become familiar
with leading the team both statistical-

conference's No.2 spot after Illinois
this weekend.
While Michigan was able to come
up big Saturday, Scales' steady per-
formance this weekend should sur-
prise nobody. Nine hits last week in
the team's Big Ten opener against
Iowa only helps illustrate the impor-
tance Scales places on conference
games.
"Its great to open the Big Ten sea-
son," Scales said. "These are the
games that really matter a little bit
more."
And while Scales' contributions
have helped spur the Wolverines to
the top of the Big Ten, the Roswell,
Ga., native insists that the realizing
the team's goals is much more impor-
tant than his own success.
"Its all about getting the
'W,"'Scales said a week ago after his
team's home opening win. "I could go
0-5 and I wouldn't even care as long

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